STAFFED BY MORE than 400 Costco
employees who are trained travel professionals able to expertly advise members
on planning and booking vacations,
Costco Travel uses its buying authority to
negotiate the best values in the marketplace and then pass on the savings to
Costco members. Costco’s combination
of value and travel expertise ensures
members will receive the quality and
experience they deserve. Just like items
in a Costco warehouse, travel offerings
are carefully selected by our skilled buyers; selections include the world’s top
destinations, hotels, cruises and other
travel products.

When a travel item attains a particu-larly special level of value and exclusivity,it earns the right to be deemed a KirklandSignature offering. “Kirkland Signatureproducts are periodic treasures that offerexclusive extras with exceptional valueand a big wow factor, such as uniqueshipboard wine events hosted byrenowned experts, culinary-theme out-ings and other specialty experiences,”says Costco Travel assistant general mer-chandise manager Chris Hendrix. “Theseoffers represent the same high standardsas other Kirkland Signature products, andprovide Costco members with outstand-ing quality and value.”Kirkland Signature vacations cur-rently offered are a St. Regis package inPuerto Rico and a stay at the HiltonHawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resorton Oahu.

The Puerto Rico package includes
accommodations in the Governor’s Suite
at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, daily
American breakfast for two, a private
Champagne sabering ritual and a $50
spa credit per adult, per stay.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village package includes a flower lei greeting, the
daily resort fee, accommodations in an
Ali’i Tower Oceanfront Room, a $100
resort credit and an exclusive Costco
member price.

To view these Kirkland Signature offerings, as well as other Hot Deals, Buyer’s
Choices and packages with Executive
member benefits, go to Costco.com and
click “Travel” or call 1-877-849-2730.

—T. Foster Jones

Kirkland
Signature
vacations

Hard-anodized cookware set

EVERY CRAFTSMAN needs a good set of
tools. It’s true in the kitchen, too. Costco’s
Kirkland Signature Hard-Anodized Cookware
15-piece set (nine pots/pans and six lids) is a
great way to develop your culinary skills.

The pieces in this set can be used on gas,
electric, halogen and ceramic cooktops.
“They’re made from hard-anodized aluminum, which creates a surface that is two times
harder than stainless steel,” says Costco
housewares buyer Shawn Kloke.

The double-riveted handles are made from
18/10 stainless steel, which means they have a
brilliant luster and are rust resistant, durable
and easy to maintain. They also stay cool. The
nonstick interior surface is made of DuPont
Teflon Platinum Pro.

The set, which was first
offered by Costco in 1999, has
gone through a number of iterations over the years.

“Costco has a unique focuswith regard to products, inthat quality is as important as, if not moreimportant than, price,” says Phil Barberi, vicepresident of product development for Costco’scurrent Kirkland Signature cookware sup-plier. “The positioning of the KirklandSignature brand is always pointed at the topend of the market from a quality perspective,and then that focus turns to how do wedeliver that quality at the best possible pricefor the Costco customer.”The development process starts with a listof desired features and capabilities and goesthrough many revisions to land on the bestcombination of quality, features and price.“This process necessarily takes some time,usually one year from start to finish, and islargely driven by Costco’s attention to detail,”says Barberi.

The Kirkland Signature set sells for
$159.99 and features:

• 8-inch and 10.5-inch skillets

• 5-quart covered sauté pan

• 8-quart covered stockpot

• 2-, 3- and 4-quart
covered saucepans

• 12-inch-deep round grill pan

• 4.4-quart covered casserole—SF

KIRKLAND SIGNATURE frozen tilapia is
farmed in pristine conditions: floating cages
with steady water flow providing a consistent temperature in deep-water reservoirs
located close to the equator.

“What really separates our tilapia from
others in the market is the clean, optimal
growing conditions that include the cleanest
possible water, quickest processing time
from harvest to freeze, and strict controls on
feed and feed ingredients,” says Adam
Matkin, Costco freezer buyer.

Vendor Regal Springs, a zero-waste
company that uses every part of the fish,
farms using only 1 percent of the water
mass’s surface area, which is optimal for the
environment and contributes to the mild
flavor of the tilapia.

“Our tilapia is very clean tasting and
bright white in color,” Adam says.

Each 40-ounce package of frozen tilapia, which sells for $14.99, contains four to
seven loins weighing 4 to 7½ ounces each.

“Our tilapia is unique because we completely remove all the dark meat and only
use the top loin portion of the fillet,” Adam
says.—CG